CNN exclusive: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand calls on Trump to resign

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York told CNN on Monday that President Donald Trump should resign over alle...

Posted: Dec 11, 2017 6:16 PM

Updated: Dec 11, 2017 6:16 PM

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York told CNN on Monday that President Donald Trump should resign over allegations of sexual assault.

"President Trump has committed assault, according to these women, and those are very credible allegations of misconduct and criminal activity, and he should be fully investigated and he should resign," Gillibrand told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview.

"These allegations are credible; they are numerous, " said Gillibrand, a leading voice in Congress for combating sexual assault in the military. "I've heard these women's testimony, and many of them are heartbreaking."

If he does not "immediately resign," she said, Congress "should have appropriate investigations of his behavior and hold him accountable."

Responding to UN Ambassador Nikki Haley saying Sunday that Trump's accusers "should be heard," Gillibrand said, "Not only should women be heard, but they should be believed."

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders responded to Haley's comments at the press briefing Monday, where she reiterated that Trump "thinks it's a good thing that women are coming forward" but noted that he denies the allegations.

"As the President said himself, he thinks it's a good thing that women are coming forward but he also feels strongly that a mere allegation shouldn't determine the course," Sanders said. "And in this case, the President has denied any of these allegations, as have eyewitnesses ... several reports have shown those eyewitnesses also back up the President's claim in this process, and again the American people knew this and voted for the President and we feel like we're ready to move forward in this process."